Abstract 15375: Status of Cardiovascular Health and Early Carotid Artery Changes in Contemporary Young Adults From Disadvantaged Social Backgrounds: The Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS)

Abstract

Background: Effects of childhood social determinants of health (SDOH) on young adult cardiovascular health (CVH) are postulated, but few studies have measured both SDOH from birth and CVH status in young adulthood. Methods: In 1998-2000, FFCWS enrolled 4898 mother-baby dyads at delivery in 20 US cities, oversampling mothers who were unmarried, including a disproportionate number of minority and low-income families. In 2021-23, offspring were invited to an in-person exam for CVH measurement and carotid artery ultrasound. Individual CVH metrics (except sleep) and overall Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) scores (range, 0-100; higher = better CVH), as well as carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), were compared between self-identified sex and race/ethnicity groups. LE8 scores were also compared with a representative sample of US young adults aged 19-25 years from NHANES. Results: Among 1211 offspring participants (ppts), mean age was 22y, 55% were female, 50.8% Black, 25.1% Hispanic, 20.5% White, and 3.6% Other; characteristics at birth and through childhood were similar between FFCWS ppts who were/were not examined. Diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, and BMI scores were unfavorable in FFCWS ppts (Table). Overall LE8 scores did not differ significantly by sex, and ranged from 64.6 in Black ppts to 74.8 in ppts from Other racial/ethnic groups. LE8 scores did not differ between Black and Hispanic ppts, but both groups had significantly lower scores than ppts from White and Other groups (all P≤0.01). After adjustment for age, sex, and LE8 score, Black ppts had significantly greater mean-maximum and mean-mean carotid IMT. Mean LE8 scores were lower among FFCWS ppts compared with young adults from the same racial/ethnic groups in NHANES. Conclusions: In this novel cohort of young adults largely from disadvantaged social backgrounds, overall CVH status was sub-optimal, and ppts who identified as Black had the lowest CVH and highest carotid IMT measures, even at this young age.